East Boston three-family house is spacious

The Eagle Hill neighborhood was laid out by the East Boston Company in 1833. Because it was the highest point on the Noddles Island portion of East Boston, it quickly drew prominent residents.  

The vast majority of homes were built between 1860 and 1900.

Originally the homes were single-family, but from 1880 through 1900, the homes built were more often two- and three-family homes. 

This was partly because there were fewer available house lots and partly because multi-family homes were a way of echoing the apartment hotels that had become so fashionable in Boston proper.

The current owner of 40 West Eagle St. has the original inspection report. It states that the permit application to build was dated Sept.14, 1892, and approved Sept. 16, 1892.

The building was completed Oct. 3, 1893. It was a two-family home whose owner was listed as Annie B. Fish; D.D. Fish was listed as the architect and builder.  

In 1927 the home was listed as a three-family and the owner was Louis H. Barbarossa, brother of the sculptor Theodore Cotillo Barbarossa (1906-1992) who studied at Massachusetts College of Art and at Yale University. 

His works include the five carved panels on the Museum of Science building in Boston, the statue of Samuel Wilson (the model for the army’s recruitment symbol Uncle Sam) in Arlington, MA, and works at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. and the Episcopal Cathedral of St John the Devine in New York City.

After owning the home for about 70 years, Louis Barbarossa sold it Aug. 16, 1994, and retired to Florida. 

The living room in Unit 2 has been painted an oyster shell white. It has an original plaster ceiling medallion.

Now it is on the market, listed with Robin Perry of Group Boston Real Estate for $469,000.

The Queen Anne Victorian home is beautiful. It is an end house, the most popular style home in New England in the 19th century, so the roof ridge is perpendicular to the gable front. Scalloped wooden shingles decorate the front porch pediment, the bracketed roofline gable and the center of the side tower.

Beaded spindles adorn the front porch, the second floor balcony and the third floor balcony. Parts of the gray/tan exterior are outlined in soft salmon and blue.

Inside the home, a spacious foyer has a bayed room to the right that was originally the office of the architect D.D. Fish. Two doors open to Unit 1.

The staircase has a handsome carved original birdcage newel post and balusters in four different designs.

The living room of Unit 1 has hardwood floors. A built-in bookcase and secretary with a drop-down desktop is on one side of the front bay and a bookcase storage closet on the other. 

The staircase in the entry foyer has a beautifully carved newel post and balusters.

The fireplace has a mantelpiece carved to resemble piano legs on each side of the fireplace opening and is carved with a symmetrical flowing feather design above. Imported tiles outline the fireplace opening.

The dining room has many special features. The hardwood in the center of the floor is laid on a diagonal, but the edges follow the outline of the walls including the side bay and are inlaid with a darker wood in a Greek pattern. 

The paneled wainscoting has a course of darker wood that is carved in an elaborate chain pattern at the height of chair railing. A large, bright kitchen, a full bath and two bedrooms complete the first floor unit 1.

Unit 2 on the second floor includes a room above the first floor office. It also enjoys the porch above the home’s front porch.

The living room has a wide front bay that looks out at the leaves and branches of the street tree. 

While the living room and dining room of Unit 1 were paneled and left a natural wood, the paneling of Unit 2 has been painted an oyster shell white.

A beautiful, original medallion is in the living room ceiling. The corner fireplace opening is lined with tiles.

The fireplace in Unit 1 has a carved mantelpiece and a surround of imported tiles.

Across from the fireplace, another bay is a perfect size for a sofa. French doors separate the living room from the dining room.

The wainscoting and course of carved chain in the dining room are also painted. An original light hangs from a medallion in the center of the ceiling. 

An interesting closet is at the back of the dining room. It has a chest in the bottom half for storing silver, linen, etc., and the chest top and three shelves on the top half. 

Originally the closet had another door on the kitchen side. Food that was ready for the table was put on the shelves from the kitchen and then moved from the closet to the table.

A kitchen, two bedrooms and a bath complete Unit 2.

Unit 3’s ceiling follows the contours of the roof, which adds great interest to the large living room.

The unit also has a side porch, a back porch, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bath.

The staircase on all three floors has the alternating designs of the balusters and handsome newel posts similar to but not quite as elaborate as that on the first floor. 

A built-in bookcase and secretary with a drop-down desktop is on one side of the front bay in Unit 1.

The home has a basement and a fenced back yard. Views from the home include boats and ships at the confluence of Chelsea Creek and Mystic River. The Tobin Bridge looks like a sculpture on the skyline.

DETAILS

Address: 40 West Eagle St., East Boston

BR/BA: Five bedrooms, three baths

Size: 3,732 +/- square feet

Age: 1893

Price: $469,000

Taxes: $3,820 (FY 2011)

Features of the home: Beautiful Queen Anne Victorian three-family home on Eagle Hill with many of the original details. At present, two units are rented and one is owner- occupied.

Close by: South Shore Plaza Courts, Condor Street Overlook, Putnam Square Park, East Boston High School, Harborside Community Center, shopping and restaurants of East Boston, Logan Airport.

Contact: Robin M. Perry, Group Boston Real Estate, 53 Hereford St., Boston, MA 02115. Phones: 617-262-1900 (office) or 617-797-0745 (cell).

Website: www.bostonrealestate.net

This property may be seen by appointment.